Last Updated on May 1, 2023 by Mary Pressler

Compare US Electricity Prices by State: 2022-2023 + View Residential and Commercial Energy Rates

Electric Rates by State: 2023 vs 2022

The US Energy Information is constantly gathering the latest energy data, and this includes the electricity cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh) by state. It’s important to note that analyzing all this information takes time, and the latest data published is normally from a few months ago. As of April 2023, the latest kWh prices published by the US EIA are from January 2023, and they are also compared with those from 12 months earlier (January 2022).

The impact of inflation is evident across all states and business sectors, and this includes the electric power industry.

  • Between January 2022 and January 2023, the average electricity price for US homeowners increased from 13.72 to 15.47 cents/kWh.
  • This represents a 12.76% increase in kWh prices, which is twice the general inflation rate during the same 12-month period: a 6.4% increase in the US Consumer Price Index.

Electricity prices vary by state, and they depend on a combination of many factors. For example, Texas has below-average kWh prices thanks to the abundance of local resources, while states that depend on electricity and gas imports tend to have higher kWh prices.

Residential Electricity Rates in Each US State (2023)

The following table provides the latest state electricity prices per kWh reported by the EIA, from lowest to highest, comparing them with 12 months earlier. Electricity prices are up across the board, but the increase is more drastic in some states.

US State January 2023 Price
(Cents/kWh)
January 2022 Price
(Cents/kWh)
Increase / Decrease
(% Change)
Nebraska 9.35 9.43 -0.85%
North Dakota 9.91 9.44 +4.98%
Wyoming 10.28 10.28 0.00%
Washington 10.48 9.92 +5.65%
Idaho 10.58 9.90 +6.87%
Utah 10.66 10.27 +3.80%
Missouri 10.73 10.06 +6.66%
Montana 10.73 10.67 +0.56%
Oklahoma 10.96 10.16 +7.87%
South Dakota 11.25 11.03 +1.99%
Iowa 11.30 10.97 +3.01%
Arkansas 11.42 10.33 +10.55%
Louisiana 11.94 11.20 +6.61%
Oregon 12.04 10.86 +10.87%
Tennessee 12.11 11.50 +5.30%
Arizona 12.62 12.37 +2.02%
North Carolina 12.67 10.88 +16.45%
Kentucky 12.68 11.93 +6.29%
Georgia 12.87 11.63 +10.66%
Kansas 12.97 12.52 +3.59%
Minnesota 13.08 12.71 +2.91%
West Virginia 13.09 11.95 +9.54%
Mississippi 13.18 11.48 +14.81%
New Mexico 13.53 13.11 +3.20%
South Carolina 13.99 12.73 +9.90%
Virginia 14.03 12.10 +15.95%
Delaware 14.18 12.24 +15.85%
Texas 14.18 12.28 +15.47%
Colorado 14.20 13.59 +4.49%
Ohio 14.31 12.53 +14.21%
Alabama 14.36 12.86 +11.66%
District of Columbia 14.91 13.23 +12.70%
Florida 15.01 13.36 +12.35%
Indiana 15.43 13.41 +15.06%
Maryland 15.87 13.41 +18.34%
Illinois 16.04 13.12 +22.26%
Wisconsin 16.05 14.81 +8.37%
Nevada 16.81 12.94 +29.91%
New Jersey 16.92 16.33 +3.61%
Pennsylvania 17.99 14.18 +26.87%
Michigan 17.99 17.11 +5.14%
Vermont 19.95 19.34 +3.15%
Alaska 21.90 22.09 -0.86%
New York 23.57 21.02 +12.13%
Maine 24.12 18.33 +31.59%
California 26.45 23.60 +12.08%
Rhode Island 28.96 23.56 +22.92%
Connecticut 30.24 22.29 +35.67%
Massachusetts 31.71 25.36 +25.04%
New Hampshire 31.72 21.27 +49.13%
Hawaii 44.96 37.61 +19.54%
US Average 15.47 13.72 +12.76%

As you can see in the table above, there are currently 9 states with an average electricity price above 20 cents/kWh.

The 8 states listed below experienced the most drastic increase in residential electricity prices between January 2022 and January 2023. All these states suffered a kWh price hike of over 20 percent:

  • New Hampshire (+49.13%)
  • Connecticut (+35.67%)
  • Maine (+31.59%)
  • Nevada (+29.91%)
  • Pennsylvania (+26.87%)
  • Massachusetts (+25.04%)
  • Rhode Island (+22.92%)
  • Illinois  (+22.26%)

There were only three states where the average electricity price decreased or remained constant in the same 12-month period:

  • Alaska (-0.86%)
  • Nebraska (-0.85%)
  • Wyoming (0.00%)

Highest and Lowest Residential Rates per kWh

Currently, electricity prices vary dramatically depending on the state. For example, residential kWh prices in New Hampshire are 239% higher than in Nebraska. Electricity costs depend on a combination of several factors: state regulations, climate, geography, consumption habits, deregulation, local energy resources and the power generation mix all come into play.

In the following table, you can compare the five states with the highest and lowest electricity prices (based on the US EIA data available in April 2023):

Highest Electricity Prices Lowest Electricity Prices
1) Hawaii = 44.96 cents/kWh

2) New Hampshire = 31.72 cents/kWh

3) Massachusetts = 31.71 cents/kWh

4) Connecticut = 30.24 cents/kWh

5) Rhode Island = 28.96 cents/kWh

1) Nebraska = 9.35 cents/kWh

2) North Dakota = 9.91 cents/kWh

3) Wyoming = 10.28 cents/kWh

4) Washington = 10.48 cents/kWh

5) Idaho = 10.58 cents/kWh

Commercial Electricity Rates in Each US State (2023)

In general, commercial energy consumers have access to lower kilowatt-hour prices compared with homeowners. In this case there are also important differences between states, as you can see in the table below:

US State January 2023 Price
(Cents/kWh)
January 2022 Price
(Cents/kWh)
Increase / Decrease
(% Change)
1 Utah 7.97 7.81 +2.05%
2 Idaho 8.19 7.80 +5.00%
3 Nebraska 8.48 8.42 +0.71%
4 Missouri 8.77 8.41 +4.28%
5 Wyoming 8.83 9.03 -2.21%
6 Texas 9.05 7.85 +15.29%
7 Oklahoma 9.09 8.78 +3.53%
8 North Dakota 9.15 8.77 +4.33%
9 Iowa 9.32 9.15 +1.86%
10 South Dakota 9.81 9.61 +2.08%
11 Virginia 9.96 8.56 +16.36%
12 North Carolina 10.02 7.92 +26.52%
13 Arkansas 10.09 9.11 +10.76%
14 Washington 10.13 9.41 +7.65%
15 Oregon 10.21 9.27 +10.14%
16 Montana 10.33 10.09 +2.38%
17 Arizona 10.49 9.99 +5.01%
18 Ohio 10.51 9.75 +7.79%
19 New Mexico 10.55 10.29 +2.53%
20 West Virginia 10.74 9.63 +11.53%
21 Colorado 11.05 10.47 +5.54%
22 Minnesota 11.22 11.03 +1.72%
23 Kansas 11.27 10.56 +6.72%
24 Louisiana 11.57 10.77 +7.43%
25 South Carolina 11.59 11.02 +5.17%
26 Georgia 11.67 10.93 +6.77%
27 Nevada 11.86 8.53 +39.04%
28 Illinois 11.87 9.81 +21.00%
29 Pennsylvania 12.02 9.60 +25.21%
30 Delaware 12.02 9.79 +22.78%
31 Tennessee 12.08 11.46 +5.41%
32 Wisconsin 12.15 11.31 +7.43%
33 Kentucky 12.24 11.31 +8.22%
34 Florida 12.30 10.73 +14.63%
35 Mississippi 13.17 11.34 +16.14%
36 Michigan 13.25 12.29 +7.81%
37 Alabama 13.41 12.47 +7.54%
38 Indiana 13.65 11.82 +15.48%
39 New Jersey 13.66 13.31 +2.63%
40 Maryland 14.64 11.73 +24.81%
41 District of Columbia 15.91 14.76 +7.79%
42 Maine 15.97 13.99 +14.15%
43 Vermont 17.34 16.97 +2.18%
44 New York 18.04 16.60 +8.67%
45 Rhode Island 19.22 17.63 +9.02%
46 Alaska 21.01 19.46 +7.97%
47 Massachusetts 21.08 19.56 +7.77%
48 Connecticut 21.36 17.68 +20.81%
49 California 21.99 18.53 +18.67%
50 New Hampshire 22.26 17.48 +27.35%
51 Hawaii 43.65 36.29 +20.28%
US Average 12.79 11.36 +12.59%

As you can see, commercial electricity rates are lower than residential prices across the US. The only exception is Washington DC, where the average commercial rate (15.91 cents/kWh) is higher than the residential rate (14.91 cents/kWh) by 6.5%. There are 11 states with average commercial rates below 10 cents/kWh, and only six states have average rates above 20 cents/kWh.

Between January 2022 and January 2023, commercial kWh prices increased the most in the 9 states listed below. All of them had a price hike of over 20 percent:

  • Nevada (+39.04%)
  • New Hampshire (+27.35%)
  • North Carolina (+26.52%)
  • Pennsylvania (+25.21%)
  • Maryland (+24.81%)
  • Delaware (+22.78%)
  • Illinois (+21.00%)
  • Connecticut (+20.81%)
  • Hawaii (+20.28%)

Commercial kWh prices increased in all states except for Wyoming, where rates decreased by 2.21%.

New Hampshire and Utah have the highest and lowest commercial kWh prices among the 48 contiguous states, with a 179% difference. The following table compares the five states with highest and lowest commercial rates overall:

Highest Electricity Prices Lowest Electricity Prices
1) Hawaii = 43.65 cents/kWh

2) New Hampshire = 22.26 cents/kWh

3) California = 21.99 cents/kWh

4) Connecticut = 21.36 cents/kWh

5) Massachusetts = 21.08 cents/kWh

1) Utah = 7.97 cents/kWh

2) Idaho = 8.19 cents/kWh

3) Nebraska = 8.48 cents/kWh

4) Missouri = 8.77 cents/kWh

5) Wyoming = 8.83 cents/kWh

Cities Within a Single State Can Have Different Electric Rates

Keep in mind these are average kWh prices, which means you can find electricity plans with higher or lower rates. Also consider that electricity prices not only vary across states, but also within the same state because of transmission and delivery costs

For example, if you compare electricity plans from the same providers in Dallas-Fort Worth (Oncor service territory) and Houston (CenterPoint service territory), you will notice slight differences.

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